Dubai: Two people were killed and nine sustained injuries when the scaffolding of a building under construction on Dubai-Al Ain Road collapsed Saturday morning. The incident happened a day after a scaffolding also collapsed in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Major Ahmad Bu Ruqaiba, Deputy Director of Dubai Police's Rescue Department, said the entire scaffolding on the front section of the building collapsed from the eighth floor to the ground.
"The scaffolding on the sides of the building are in precarious condition but the front part fell apart completely," he told Gulf News.
The rescue team found two dead workers at the site as well as nine others who were injured. Six of them sustained serious injuries. They were given first aid at the site and taken to Rashid Hospital. Air ambulances were used in the rescue operation.
"We still don't know exactly why the scaffolding collapsed. I reached one hour after the collapse as I was on sick leave," Engineer Nader Ali, project manager from Adnan Saffarini, the consultant for the project, told Gulf News.
Al Qandeel Contracting, the main contractor for the project, could not be reached for comment at the time of going to press.
Police is investigating the cause of collapse.
Abu Dhabi accident
In another incident of scaffolding collapse in Abu Dhabi — the second in as many days, witnesses said at least two to five people died at the construction site on Al Murour street near Al Falah Plaza. However, Abu Dhabi police when contacted did not confirm the number of deaths until investigations are concluded.
A worker at the construction site said that one man died instantly. Another witness, a Filipina who asked to remain anonymous, told Gulf News that "seven people were working on the scaffolding when the entire metal structure collapsed. One died instantly, one more body was discovered when the construction crew began clearing the debris, and five people were injured and taken to a hospital".
According to the witness, two people died later at the hospital. No one on site knew which hospital the injured were taken to.
"It seems the scaffolding was not well supported or properly anchored," said E.M., Pakistani, a witness at the construction site. When contacted, the staff of Al Diyar contracting company, who are the general contractor for the site, declined to provide any information.
Gulf News spoke to a safety expert to shed light on the safety standards employed in construction sites especially in building scaffoldings.
"Based on the Code of Construction Safety Practice from the Dubai Municipality, the scaffolding should be made of good construction materials and should be installed by a competent person who is trained and licensed by the government," Dennis Bandojo, a health, safety and environment manager with 13 years of experience, said.
"Environmental conditions (see box) should also be considered because, if left unchecked, they may also contribute to the collapse of a scaffold," he added.
Putting a scaff tag detailing if the scaffold is safe to use should also be done. A final check by the contractor and consultant should be made prior to usage of any scaffolding.
